Coasting through the fog

Friday was one of those days that started out promising, then ended up going a different way altogether (unrelated to my externship). Before things turned unfortunate, I had a delightful lunch with Sarah at the Hog Island Oyster counter. Actually, we ate outside in the chilly sunshine. Sarah had read that their grilled cheese sandwich was extraordinary, so we split one, along with a bowl of clam chowder and a couple of glasses of muscadet.

The sandwich WAS extraordinary, gooey and crispy, made with Vella Mezzo Secco (a semi-dry Jack cheese), gruyere, and fromage blanc on a square of Acme's herb slab bread. It was so delicious that I made one the next day at home, using Jack, gruyere, and muenster. I don't have a panini press, so I used my grill pan and covered the sandwich with a piece of aluminum foil, weighed down with a teakettle full of water.

Today, it was back to the routine, with the farmers market vendors out in front of the building instead of tucked back under the eaves. Today's heavy fog was much more tolerable than rain and wind, but a sunny day is best of all. After some preliminary office work, I went down to the kitchen and made a big pot of vegetable stock, to have on hand in the freezer for the upcoming chef demonstration season. It's amazing how the simple combination of onions, carrots, and celery (with some parsley stems, peppercorns, and thyme) can smell so comforting.